P. J. O’Rourke began writing funny things in 1960s “underground” newspapers, became editor in chief of National Lampoon, then spent 20 years reporting for Rolling Stone and the Atlantic Monthly as the world’s only trouble-spot humorist, going to wars, riots, rebellions, and other “Holidays in Hell” in more than 40 countries. He’s written 16 books on subjects as diverse as politics, cars, etiquette, and economics. He is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard, and a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait…Wait…Don’t Tell Me. For the first time, Thrown Under the Omnibus (Atlantic Monthly Press) brings over five decades of the beloved humorist’s funniest, most outrageous, most controversial, and most loved pieces together into a definitive anthology. From his early pieces for the National Lampoon (“How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink”), through his classic reporting as Rolling Stone’s International Affairs editor in the ’80s and ’90s (“Among the Euroweenies”), and his brilliant, inimitable political reporting and analysis (Parliament of Whores, Give War a Chance, Eat the Rich), O’Rourke has been entertaining and provoking readers with high-octane prose, a gonzo republican attitude, and a rare ability to make you laugh out loud while silently reading to yourself.
